Bears Blitz

Published by Bryan Dietzler on April 6, 2012
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Any Bears fan knows that that Chicago’s offensive line has struggled at times during the past couple of seasons and there are several factors that have contributed to that.  One important factor is the talent that the Bears have on the unit may be lacking.  They have a still inexperienced player at the left tackle position in J’Marcus Webb and have another yet unproven player in Gabe Carimi (who will be playing right tackle this year). 

If there is something that the Bears are lacking on the line it’s clearly talent.

The offensive scheme that the Bears ran the last two seasons when former offensive coordinator Mike Martz was in town didn’t help the offensive line’s performance out much.  The scheme required that quarterback Jay Cutler take some deep drops and hold onto the ball longer which meant that the Bear’s offensive linemen had to hold their blocks longer.  This wasn’t a good mix for a group that struggled and this often meant that Cutler found himself on his back.  The Bears can’t afford to have that happen again in 2012. 

Perhaps with the new offensive scheme that the Bear’s are sure to install, the offensive line may not have the lineman holding their blocks too long which would make things work much easier.  Let’s hope that the new scheme works well for the offensive line. 

Finally, another problem that the Bear’s offensive line had last year was injuries.  They continually had to try different combinations at several positions on the offensive line and this meant that the group didn’t have enough time to gel and get used to one another.  This made things difficult for their performance in games.  The Bears can’t afford to have the injury bug bite them again this season, especially with the lack of depth they currently have on the line.

Chicago would be well off to use the draft to add some depth and perhaps a starter to their offensive line.  It would be great if the Bears could even find someone to provide some competition (and possibly potentially start) at the ever tumultuous left tackle position.  But with Chicago feeling that Webb is indeed the answer at the left tackle position they may not try to do anything at that spot in the draft.  That may end up being to their detriment. 

The right tackle position will be manned by Carimi. Not only will the Bears and their fans hope that he’s healthy enough to hold out for a season but they will also hope that he can play the position well.  Having gone out early in the season last year, Carimi missed a lot of valuable learning time and will essentially be starting over.  Hopefully he can hold his own on the right side.

Speaking of injuries, former tackle and current guard Chris Williams will be coming back from an injury and will be counted on to play one of the two guard positions.  The Bears don’t have a lot of depth at the guard spots and should consider bringing in some additional talent through the draft.

The Bears also have guys like Lance Louis, Mansfield Wrotto, Ricky Henry, Reggie Stephens and Edwin Williams.  Except for Louis and Williams, the Bears don’t have much experience at the guard position.

That’s why it just might benefit the Bears to get some additional talent in the draft this year as well as pick up some undrafted free agents.

A team’s offensive line is one of the most important parts to their success and in order for the Bears to have success next season their offensive line needs to get better.

Up Next: Five Possibilities for the Bears on the offensive line in the 2012 NFL Draft. 

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